Sculpture adorns old dairy factory

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A former Auckland couple are carving a niche market in the Taranaki art community with the opening of a rock sculpture gallery at the old Tataraimaka dairy factory.

On Friday about 80 people turned out to the opening of the Korver Molloy Gallery, the product of a move by Anna Korver and Steve Molloy from Auckland in April last year to pursue their passion for rock carving.

They lease a studio and gallery space from factory owner Tania Brown, who runs her coastal plant business, Tataraimaka Garden, on the site, Korver said.

"It works quite well because we have similar clientele," she said.

"The gardens and the sculptures complement each other."

Korver and Molloy moved to Taranaki from Auckland to pursue a better lifestyle, she said.

Having participated in the past two Te Kupenga Stone Sculpture Symposiums on the New Plymouth foreshore, the couple knew Taranaki was a better place to create and sell their art.

"It's a better art community. Auckland is just all business, so it's nice to change."

Their larger pieces of art are displayed in surrounding gardens, which took about 20 minutes to walk around.

The sculptures ranged from very small and affordable to bigger pieces up to five metres tall, and not all were stone.

"We work in a variety of mediums: wood, stone, glass - anything really."

The price range on carvings went up to $10,000.

Korver said she had been carving since the age of 4 but only got into it fulltime for the past 10 years.

Molloy had been carving for about eight years, she said.

The gallery is open from 10am till 4pm Saturday and Sunday, and by appointment during the week.